ATTENTION: New Site for EWRE Seminar Info

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You can access the Seminar schedule and descriptions here.

Jan 24 - "Nutrient recovery from Municipal Wastewater" by Ahren Britten

University of South Florida – Civil & Environmental Engineering

Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Graduate Seminar – Spring 2014

Nutrient recovery from Municipal Wastewater

Ahren Britton, Chief Technology Officer

OSTARA | ostara.com | @OstaraTech

Friday, January 24, 12:20-1:10

Room 4 ENG Building

Biosketch. Mr. Ahren T. Britton, MSc, P.Eng is the Chief Technology Officer of Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies Inc.  Ostara is a clean water company that recovers valuable nutrients from used water streams. The company's proprietary technology, the Pearl® Process, recovers otherwise polluting nutrients, phosphorus and nitrogen, from municipal and industrial water streams, and transforms them into a slow release, eco-friendly fertilizer marketed as Crystal Green®.  Mr. Britton designed, built and tested the first prototype of Ostara's nutrient recovery technology. His professional experience includes direction of a number of experimental and commercial scale process demonstrations within the wastewater industry.  

Semester seminar schedule found at: http://ce.eng.usf.edu/docs/EWRE-SeminarSchedule.pdf

Learn more how integrated water, energy, and nutrient systems are fundamental to social, economic, and environmental well-being and prosperity: http://usf-reclaim.org/

Jan. 17 - "On Cleaning Membranes" by Dr. Michael J. Semmens

University of South Florida – Civil & Environmental Engineering

Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Graduate Seminar – Spring 2014

On Cleaning Membranes

Michael J. Semmens PhD, PE.

Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota

Friday, January 17, 12:20-1:10

Room 4 ENG Building

Abstract. There have been many studies conducted on membrane fouling and membrane cleaning.  Model studies, batch studies, continuous flow studies with different membranes, different model compounds and different operating conditions etc.  The results are, not surprisingly, difficult to compare. As such, cleaning remains more art than science and many operators use a trial and error approach to determine what works best for their specific application.  This talk will review the field of membrane cleaning with an emphasis on the chemical approaches for removing organic foulants and biofilms.  The talk will also highlight the impact of the chemicals on membrane integrity and performance.

Biosketch. Dr. Michael J. Semmens is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Minnesota.  His research interests are in chemical and physical processes for water, wastewater, and hazardous waste treatment, with expertise in membrane applications in water and waste water treatment, membrane bioreactor design, the design of composite membranes and membrane modules for environmental applications, passive barrier membranes for in-situ bioremediation of chlorinated organic compounds, and biofilms grown on gas-permeable membranes.

Semester seminar schedule found at: http://ce.eng.usf.edu/docs/EWRE-SeminarSchedule.pdf

Learn more how integrated water, energy, and nutrient systems are fundamental to social, economic, and environmental well-being and prosperity: http://usf-reclaim.org/

EWRE: Jan. 10, 2014, 12:20pm

Seminar Location: USF Tampa campus - ENG room 4
Campus Map

University of South Florida – Civil & Environmental Engineering

Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Graduate Seminar – Spring 2014

Performance of Modified Bioretention Systems

Thomas J. Lynn, P.E.

Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of South Florida

Friday, January 10, 12:20-1:10

Room 4 ENG Building

Abstract. Urbanization increases nitrogen loadings from stormwater runoff, which promotes eutrophication in downstream surface waters.  Eutrophication can be managed using Low Impact Development (LID) technologies, such as bioretention systems.  However, total nitrogen removal is often limited by low nitrate (NO3⁻) removal efficiencies.  A modified bioretention system is a relatively new LID technology that incorporates a submerged carbon-containing medium to support denitrification.  Little is known; however, about the factors controlling NO3⁻ removal in these systems.  In this research, microcosms were used to investigate NO3⁻ removal performance using mixtures of wood, sand and gravel media during initial start-up and after acclimation.  Column studies were used to investigate NO3⁻ removal performance at varying storm event flow rates and number of days between storm events, or antecedent dry conditions (ADCs).  Microcosms were observed to have poor NO3⁻ removal during start-up (-39 to 28%) and production of Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN) (11 mg/L), phosphate (15 mg/L) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) (130 mg/L).  After acclimation, the wood-containing media removed up to 100% NO3⁻ within six hours, and produced low amounts of TKN (<0.1 mg/L) and DOC (2 mg/L).  Column studies showed that increased detention times and ADCs improve NO3⁻ removal.  During ADCs, water retained in the system becomes supercharged with DOC.  During a storm event, the initially high DOC concentrations support high denitrification rates; however, over time, NO3⁻ removal decreases as DOC is washed out of the system.  This study describes how modified bioretention systems operate in harmony with natural biological processes to reduce eutrophication.  The results provide practical guidelines for designing modified bioretention systems.  In addition, data from microcosm tests were used to estimate that eucalyptus wood based modified bioretention systems will support NO3⁻ removal for at least 20 years.

 

  Biosketch. Thomas J. Lynn is a doctoral candidate in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of South Florida, Tampa, Fla.  He earned his bachelor of science in civil engineering and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of South Florida.  He has four years of professional experience working as a surface water regulator for the Southwest Florida Water Management District and as a land development consultant in Ocala, FL.  He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Florida.  His current research focuses on how nitrate is removed in the internal water storage zone of bioretention systems.

Spring 2014 Semester Seminar Schedule 

Learn more how integrated water, energy, and nutrient systems are fundamental to social, economic, and environmental well-being and prosperity HERE 

The role of quantitative pollution ecology in water resource management: some examples from the Florida, Coastal Louisiana and Puerto Rico

11/28/11

David Tomasko, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist & Manager, Watershed Assessment and Sciences Program 

Atkins North America,

Tampa, FL

The successful management of water resources is essential task for communities dependent upon clean water and a healthy environment.  Balancing the needs for providing flood protection, water supply, and environmental features requires proficiency in the fields of hydrology, biology and general ecology.  Three examples will be reviewed that illustrate the value of fully integrating these fields to address specific water quality concerns.  In South Florida, the appearance of a large algal bloom in 2005 was investigated to determine the most likely cause(s).  In Louisiana, the restoration of its severely impacted and rapidly disappearing coastal wetlands is dependent upon the implementation of large-scale freshwater diversions into prior floodplains. In Puerto Rico, the reestablishment of an historical tidal connection between San Juan Bay and the San José Lagoon is a long-desired project for communities in the vicinity of the Martín Peña Canal. In all three examples, close coordination between the fields of engineering and environmental science was essential.

Dr. Tomasko is a Senior Scientist and the Manager of the Watershed Assessment and Sciences Program for Atkins North America, in Tampa.  David was previously the Manager of the Environmental Section of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, and before that a Senior Scientist with the Water Management District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management Program.  

David led efforts to develop the scientific basis for a technology-based pollutant load reduction goal for Sarasota Bay, as well as the resource-based pollutant load reduction goal for Charlotte Harbor.  In addition, David has developed or refined pollutant load reduction strategies for portions of the Miami River, the Winter Haven Chain of Lakes, Lakes Hancock and Jessup, and the Wekiva River.  David’s current work involves the estimation of water quality and natural system responses to ongoing or planned restoration projects in Florida, Virginia, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.

Wastewater infrastructure: onsite technologies & their management

11/21/11

A. Robert Rubin

Professor Emeritus

Biological & Agricultural Engineering

North Carolina State University

In a global perspective, wastewater reuse is a fledgling supply, but an important emerging source of supply. Only a very small portion of water is planned reuse – all water is returned to the water cycle and ultimately reused, but planned reuse is small. Legislation like California Title 22, the North Carolina 2U standards, EU standards and standards like those proposed as NSF 350 are helping raise the bar for reuse. A decentralized system allows recycle and reuse as close to potential users as possible and this reduces the energy required in a system. That can mean significant savings because the energy demands associated with moving water are quite significant. A distributed or decentralized approach reduces the disruption necessary to supply water, and can mine water from a collection system and use it through small, appropriately sized systems. The greatest challenge for us working with reuse is to create a vision where we cultivate building owners, operators, managers, and officials with an idea of how the future infrastructure of reuse can look. 

A. Robert Rubin is a Professor Emeritus and Extension Specialist, Biological and Agricultural Engineering North Carolina State University. He is water professional with expertise in drinking water, wastewater, storm water, and bio-solid management issues. He has authored several publications on water and waste management and has worked with the US EPA and state agencies on the development of rules, regulations, policies and guidelines for onsite/decentralized systems and land application of bio-solids. He has conducted an active demonstration and evaluation program addressing onsite-decentralized wastewater; land application systems, solid waste management and water supply management. From 1999 through 2005, Dr. Rubin served as a Visiting Scientist at the USEPA in Washington, DC. In June of 2003, Dr. Rubin was presented the "Bronze Medal for Commendable Service" by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

rubin@ncsu.edu

Measuring Sustainability and Resilience of Urban Infrastructure

Adrienne T. Cooper

Florida A&M University, Biological and Agricultural Systems Engineering

adrienne.cooper@famu.edu

Sustainable infrastructure development has thus far been focused on conformance to a set of rules or guidelines. For example, LEED and BREEAM set national standards for Green Building Certification in the U.S. and UK respectively, and the Energy Star Rating System (US) has been developed for appliances and products. However, these must be used in conjunction with other indicators to evaluate sustainability. Principles of sustainability have been developed to address socio-ecological elements using a thermodynamic basis to identify the influence of society on nature and material exchange. Principles of green engineering have also been established that provide a guide for development. However, none of these principles are clearly applicable to infrastructure, and achievement of the principles is not readily measurable. The use of sustainability indices provides for measurable outcomes.
A sustainable design necessarily includes the ability of the system to recover from perturbations, whether they are natural, anthropogenic or technogenic. This system resiliency has traditionally been viewed as separate from sustainability, but more recently they have come to be recognized as two sides of the same coin. The interdependence of urban infrastructural elements adds an additional layer of complexity to be considered in evaluation and design.

We discuss the use of EMERGY methodology for the development of indices of resilience, with an eye toward a combined index dealing with both sustainability and resilience of water and wastewater infrastructure systems. We have provided a preliminary definition of a resiliency index that indicates the total time of a system to recover (TTR), a function of both the physical and the social aspects of the system as well as the EMERGY output (transformity). The physical and social recovery of the system are captured in a physical recovery index (PRI) and a social recovery index (SRI).

Adrienne T. Cooper, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Biological and Agricultural Systems Engineering at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). She received her PhD. in Environmental Engineering in 1998 from the University of Florida. Working with Drs. Yogi Goswami and Tom Crisman, her research examined, "Solar Photochemical Treatment of Potable Water: Disinfection and Detoxification.” Her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering was from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. She is a the principal investigator in the Sustainable Systems Engineering Research Lab, a member of FAMU's Center for Water and Air Quality and the BioEnergy Group to Develop Renewable and Sustainable Sources of Energy. Some of her current research looks at implications of engineered nanoparticles in the natural food supply, sustainable biodiesel fuel production from algae, and the measurement of sustainability. As an active member in the American Chemical Society, she fosters new and innovative research applications that focus on processes for improving the sustainability of water resources, including those pertaining to providing safe drinking water and treatment of wastewater. She teaches Introduction to Computing, Natural Resource Conservation Engineer, Heat and Mass Transfer in Biological and Food Engineering, Food and Bioprocess Engineering, Environmental Modifications and Control, and Biochemical Engineering. Dr. Cooper is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award for her research in photocatalysis for water treatment and remediation and is a registered professional engineer in the state of South Carolina.